Response to POASI President

Dear Suissevale Neighbor,

We know that you have received a letter from Mr. Bob Ashton, current Board President. Although the letter is on Suissevale stationary and sent from the office address, it has not been sent on behalf of the entire Board. We would like to respond to a number of statements made in that letter. Many of our issues relate to transparency and broader involvement of the community.

First, the letter addresses the dock situation. The docks are priced at $1,000 for the entire season while the rate for such a dock outside of Suissevale is over $2,000. Mr. Ashton points out that we are not a full marina as we do not have gas on site. However, the other amenities offered at our docks are not to be ignored. We have a beach with picnic tables, security, and porta-potties right at our docks, as well as parking and 24 hour access.

Mr. Ashton referenced a report done by the Board comparing our docks with other associations on the lake, and we would appreciate it if he would post that report on the Suissevale website. It is very difficult to make comparisons of docks without taking into consideration all factors.

For example, from our second-hand understanding of the report, Balmoral, our neighbor and an association with roughly the same number of homes, has fewer docks than we do. The report, apparently, does not note that over eighty properties have private docks, most accommodating two craft, on the canal and many residents who do not yet have assigned docks are able to rent within the association. In addition, there are more docks on Shannon Brook, some usable for the entire season. Nor did it point out those associations where the docks are rented for less money but the rentals involve rotations or lotteries.

To complicate the dock situation, the Board voted in January of 2018 to amend the dock policy to allow for retention of a dock if a house is put in a trust. Many are concerned that the wording of that amendment would allow for possible abuse later on and result in docks being held forever by one trust. Currently, the dock pricing and policies are formulated by the Board without input from the membership, and many Board members are also dock holders. It would be more appropriate if the management and pricing of the marina were done by a committee that does not include board members, but includes dock holders and members without docks.

Mr. Ashton’s letter goes on to speak of finances. We feel there is room for improvement by adhering to standard fiscal practices that are commonplace in most organizations of our size. Our member survey showed that only 31% of members were aware of how dues were allocated - see survey here.

As an example, fiscal requests over a certain threshold should require a budget as to exactly how the funds are to be spent. Last year the Board voted $5,000 for web and internet and at the March 2019 meeting an additional $3,000 was appropriated. Neither of those appropriations include a breakdown of how the funds were to be spent. This action was not transparent. The request for these funds was not included in the agendas for the meetings when the action was taken. (As a point of reference, the LoveSussevale website is run on a budget of slightly over $250/year.)

We are asking for one audit, not annual audits. A professional audit is a normal business practice, but our Board has only chosen to have a review instead of an official signed audit. The last review was in 2014 - see review here.

An additional concern of our membership is the future of our water system. As more houses are added to our Association, we need to carefully assess all options available to us, including meters. We are asking for transparency in this process.

Finally, last July the Board approved rewritten bylaws. At that time, many members requested that the bylaws, prior to enactment, be reviewed by a New Hampshire lawyer, specializing in Home Owner Associations. The Board chose to have their regular firm, Orr and Reno, review the new Bylaws. The results of that review were deemed confidential and therefore not available to the general membership. How much did this review cost? Why is it confidential?

Bios of the Suissevale members we recommend for the board are here. Our letter recommending you vote for these members is here.

Please vote to support positive change in Suissevale.

LoveSuissevale, John Hawkins